Downpours & Punishing Heat Leave Their Mark On Tri-State Area

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) –– Tri-State Area residents looked for ways to beat the kind of heat that hasn’t been felt since last August and the rain across the area Tuesday provided some much-needed relief from the sweltering heat.

Storms also brought wind, heavy rain and lightning to the area. The downpour caught many in the city off guard, forcing them to make a run for it without umbrellas, using anything they could find as a cover.

A gust of wind also caused a man in his 60s to be injured in Bryant Park after he got hit in the head by a falling tree limb, CBS 2′ s Derricke Dennis reported. He was treated at Bellevue Hospital for a cut on his head and released.

There was also no escaping the scorcher for commuters at Penn Station on Tuesday.

Temperatures in the NJ TRANSIT terminal underground hit 90 degrees in the afternoon thanks to some air conditioning problems. Huge fans were set up to try and cool off commuters, but it was a small consolation for those sweating it out.

“It’s hotter in here than it is outside — what are you gonna do?” one man asked CBS 2’s Dennis.

Another commuter described the heat as “pretty oppressive.” WCBS 880’s Marla Diamond reported seeing a person wheeled out on a stretcher from Penn Station in an incident believed to be heat-related.

Firefighters were also called in to deal with some track issues and one firefighter had to be treated for a heat-related issue, officials said.

As a result of the heat, NJ TRANSIT took measures to protect customers by giving them an additional option to get home Tuesday evening, permitting the cross-honoring of tickets on PATH trains at the 33rd Street station until 8 p.m.

Area airports also experienced departure delays of over an hour due to severe weather conditions in other parts of the country.

Wednesday is also expected to be another humid day with clouds and sun along with a couple of showers and possibly a thunderstorm, according to AccuWeather.